Getting to Know: Matt Tipoff

By: Shannon Costello

Matt Tipoff is back with the Kitchener Rangers for his last year in the Ontario Hockey League, and he is making the most of it.

The 20 year old was drafted by the Belleville Bulls in the second round of the 2006 OHL Priority Selection Draft. He played just over three seasons with the Bulls, before being traded to Kitchener in 2009. Since then, his stats have continued to impress, and he has become a clear leader in Blue.

In Belleville, Tipoff was an obvious leader both on the scoreboard and in the dressing room, so being given an “A” in Kitchener this year seemed natural.   At the beginning of the season, he modestly admitted he can be a leader because he has no problem “telling the boys how it is.” But actions speak louder than words, and Matt showed the boys how to play the best by finishing the regular season 4th on the team in scoring.

Point production has always been one of Matt’s strengths, though if you ask him what he does best, he looks at it differently. “I’ve got good passes. I’m good working in the corners, keeping puck possession and blocking shots.” Even though he has ranked high on his team in points for the last three years, he does not even consider his shot to be a main strength, which goes to prove one key point about Matt Tipoff: he really is an all around, two way player.

Used both on the power play, and as one of the team’s best penalty killers, Tipoff has become a force both offensively and defensively; though after watching him last year, no one should be surprised by this. In 46 regular season games with Kitchener in 2009-2010, he scored 15 goals and 19 assists for a total of 34 points: stats that he had improved to 21 goals and 25 assists by the 46 game mark this year.

In the playoffs last year, Matt managed to tally 9 points, but stood out most for his play on the penalty kill; something some people give full credit to as what allowed Kitchener to push a game seven with the Windsor Spitfires. But last season was not his first to make it to the post season. With the Belleville Bulls, Tipoff made it all the way to the Memorial Cup in 2008: an experience he says is still his favourite hockey moment today.

But the 6 foot, 186 pound left winger is not just a leader because of his impressive statistics, his strengths on ice or his playoff experience: but also because of his ability to think of the team. Of course, as one of the oldest players on the Rangers roster he has no inhibitions when it comes to telling the team what he thinks should change, but he also is one of the players setting up the team atmosphere.

When asked about some of his favourite memories from the OHL he not only mentions making the conference finals every season, but the fact that he has met so many people and made a lot of friends. He quickly admits that he if were to sign with an NHL team right now, he would use that signing bonus to take the whole team to Mexico.

So far, Matt has gone undrafted in the NHL having been eligible since 2009, but he knows that this is absolutely no reason to give up. Having grown up in Toronto, he began cheering for his hometown Maple Leafs and has seen the skill required to make it to the next level. Each summer he continues to work on improving too: “This summer I worked on speed, strength and endurance,” he said in September. “I also want to strengthen my skating this year.”  After the OHL, everything only gets faster and tougher so he knows he needs to prepare for it now if he hopes to catch the eyes of some scouts.

While being passed by more than once can be discouraging, Tipoff is looking to stay motivated so he can still accomplish his goals. “You need to stay positive and realize how fortunate you are to be in this position right now.” If he is still having trouble staying positive, he does not need to look too far for a reminder that anything can happen. His teammate, Andrew Crescenzi, also went undrafted in the NHL but signed with Tipoff’s favourite team in September. If it can happen to Andrew, it can happen to Matt too.

At the same time though, he has given thought to a backup plan in case something goes wrong in the future. Matt is currently studying kinesiology in university, and being a gym teacher is his second career choice. No matter what, he wants to stay involved in sports.

But Kitchener Rangers fans know that if he continues to play hockey the way he has been, he will definitely have a future in the sport. Tipoff started skating when he was six years old, and amazingly, he taught himself.

The determination he used to learn how to play hockey on his own will only help him as he strives to make it into the NHL. But before that he is ready to once again help his team go deep in the playoffs.  And this year, his final year, Matt Tipoff really wants the Memorial Cup.